In many cases, when a driver is hit by another vehicle from behind, they will automatically assume that the rear vehicle was responsible for the crash. If someone gets rear-ended by a semi-truck driver, for instance, they may want to sue that driver and the trucking company that they were working for to seek compensation.
But is it true that a semi-truck driver is always responsible? Not necessarily.
This assumption essentially comes from the idea that drivers are always supposed to maintain a safe following distance so that they can stop in time, even if something unexpected happens. But that does not mean that the semi driver was not maintaining a safe following distance, even if they get involved in a crash.
Stopping distances and no-zones
There are two things to consider, the first of which is that semi-trucks have a stopping distance of around 525 feet, which means that it is more than 200 feet longer than it takes for a passenger car to come to a stop. The second thing to keep in mind is that semi-truck drivers have a blind spot directly in front of the vehicle, so other motorists are advised never to cut off a truck.
Unfortunately, they sometimes do this without realizing how problematic it is. For instance, a truck driver may be slowing down because there is a red light ahead of them. Because they have a long stopping distance, that driver needs the entire distance to the light to bring the vehicle to a halt.
But if a smaller car changes lanes, cutting into the no-zone and stopping abruptly, that driver could get rear-ended by the semi. The truck driver has no ability to stop the vehicle in time, even though they have not made any negligent mistakes.
This is just one potential defense after a truck accident, and all parties need to know what legal steps to take.